On Fire
by Shun'u Kou
Summary: "You're a woman?" She blurted out as Genrou tucked her shirt back into her belt with a grumble and few choice swear words. "Yeah," the red-head muttered back, returning her defiant yet slightly sullen gaze to Miaka's, "Got anything' ta say about it? Huh?"


_Well, hello all and welcome to my first fanfic._

_As you can guess from the choice of catagory and my username I am an avid fan of Fushigi Yugi. Emphasis on FAN. _

_Yup, thats right. I do not own the rights to either the anime, manga, main plot or the characters. I do own this little fic I'm wrioting though so please do not pinch it._

_Now, before I let you get on with the story, I'd like to give you a few warnings._

_This will be a romance at some point. There will be a copious amount of swearing throughout the story. I mean, lets face it. Tasuki is the main character._

_Also, and most importantly, thiis will contain **Gender-Bending**. Which basicly means that I have taken a male character and turned him into a woman for my own amusement. :D_

_Anywazzle... Please enjoy the story and review. Any constructive feedback is greatly welcomed as it will help me improve the next chapters._

_Thank you :3_

* * *

On Fire

Chapter One: Dude, It's a Lady!

'I want my money back because this sure as hell isn't what I paid for...' was the wry thought of a small, slightly plump school girl named Miaka Yuki as she was none too gently dragged down what looked like a decidedly dirty floor by a tall remarkably clean bandit with a scar on his face.

It seemed that from the moment she accepted the desperate plea from the beautiful Emperor of Konan (Really, how could she NOT say yes to that face?) to become the Priestess of Suzaku, she had come across nothing but trouble. Granted some of it was her own fault.

She had been the one who had bated the palace guards with one too many insults until they charged with anger and caused a whole temple to tumble down upon both her and Tamahome. Not to mention the time she had ran away from Tamahome and ended up getting captured in Kutou while trying to save Yui. Then there was the time she... Miaka pouted. On reflexion, perhaps a lot of the times they ended up in dire straights were her fault.

"Oi, no day-dreamin' girly," came the gruff but not unpleasant voice of her captor whom she had mentally dubbed as 'Scarface'. She squeaked indignantly as he tugged a little on the back of her jacket to hurry her along and turned to glare. Ruggedly handsome or not, he was certainly not a gentleman. He chuckled at the look, coming to a stop outside a pair of dirt stained doors. Miaka eyed them warily. Would it be possible to catch a disease from touching them? She sincerely hoped not as 'Scarface' raised his hand to knock loudly on the dirty panels, clearing his throat as he did so.

"Knock, Knock! Who's there? It's Kouji, bringin' one'o the girls as per request. Ah come right on in. Why thank ya very much!" Miaka raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the one-sided conversation that 'Scarface'/Kouji had initiated with himself. 'Of all the Bandits that had to capture me, I get the crazy one...' she thought as he pushed the doors open to reveal an even messier room inside. 'Someone needs to hire a cleaner...'

But despite the piles of old food and other things she dare not think about, Miaka's eyes zeroed in on a sight that made her feel sick in a way even the stench didn't manage. There, perched on a huge pile of what looked like soiled pillows sat the fattest, ugliest man she had ever met. He had perked up slightly when the doors open and as his eyes fell upon her his face split into a hideous leer.

"Please don't tell me you're going to leave me alone with him..." she managed to squeak out. Kouji just shrugged with a sigh and turned to leave, placing his hand briefly on her shoulder as he went. "Jus' grin an' bear it," he whispered back before closing her only escape root.

Miaka gave a mental yelp as the fat man began to waddle her way. She was half tempted to run but seeing as her hands were still bound, there was no way she could open the door. She took in a deep breath and set her jaw. 'Alright,' she thought as she allowed him to lead her unwillingly to the disgusting looking pillows, 'I can do this... For Tamahome and the rest of the warriors...'

* * *

Miaka felt her face fall into a pout as she gazed at her friends from the shoulder of a strange red-haired man. Thankfully that fat bandit leader, or Eiken as she now discovered he was called, had not gotten the chance to much other than grope her thighs and chest a little ('I'm going to scrub myself raw later,' she thought with a shudder.) before her friends arrived to save the day with Kouji tagging along looking thoroughly repent from behind. In all honesty, she had never been so relieved to see Nuriko smashing his way through a wall in her life. When she felt those sweaty, grubby hands of Eiken leave her person, she scrambled away to hide behind her other saviour, Hotohori, feeling intensively relieved to be away from the foul stench of that hideous leader.

Then a sudden breeze enveloped her, whipping her hair around her shoulders as the strange feeling of someone grabbing her around the waist and hoisting her up assailed her. Everything sped past her in a whirl of colours for a second before she found herself gazing through Nuriko's hole in the wall, slightly bemused at first. Eiken's face lost it's pallor while Kouji's gained an expression of joy mixed with disbelief.

"G...Genrou?"

"Long time no see Eiken," her captor said sarcastically, his voice as harsh and deep as Kouji's but unnaturally so, she thought. "Looks like ya've been taking liberties an' took over the gang while I was gone."

The red-h'ad hoisted her up a little further over his shoulder, his hand sliding down to pat Miaka's backside, "An' look what else ya've been up to! How the hell did ya manage to get yerself a wife with that ugly mug of yers!"

"I'm not his wife!" Miaka exclaimed, her face a picture of anger and horror. Genrou merely chuckled, adding an extra pat for good measure. "Well if ya still want her, yer gonna have to come and get her b'cuz her cute little backsides mine now." He grinned, flashing what appeared to be a pair of real fangs that glinted impishly in the moonlight as he pulled out a handful of paper talismans and tossed them into the room, chanting some kind of spell that caused them to change into wolves that immediately fell upon the assembled people.

Miaka fought to free herself as she felt him turn away from the others. "Hotohori! Nuriko!" she cried out desperately, reached a hand towards them as the world once more disappeared in a haze of colours and wind, though this time she heard the sound of footfalls. She blinked, her mind making the connection between his running and the suddenly blurred surrounding. 'Holy Suzaku, he's fast!'

In no time at all, it appeared that they had arrived at their destination. Miaka grunted in pain as Genrou unceremoniously dumped her on the floor of a refreshingly clean room. She pulled herself up with a glare, her hands previously having been freed by Eiken during his advances. Genrou seemed not to acknowledge her presence, lazily pulling of his coat and draping it over a chair. She eyed his back questioningly, taking in a long fire red braid that fell down his back, longer than even Nuriko's and far shinier. She furrowed her eyebrows at it in bemusement. From the front she could have sworn his hair was shorter than that.

He turned to face her with a cocky grin, clad in a pair of beige pants and a basic linin shirt that was held together by a belt at his waist. Indeed, his hair did seem shorter at the front, sticking up and out in every which way like the fire from which it derived its colour. He slunk devilishly towards her, dropping to his knees and grasping her chin in a firm but gentle grip.

"Don't fight me an' I won't hurt ya," He said in a quiet, sensuous voice, leaning steadily closer, "I jus' wanna teach Eiken a lesson is all." Miaka narrowed her eyes and raised her hand, putting all the power she could muster into the palm as she brought it into contact with Genrou's face.

Whack!

He yowled in pain and threw himself backwards away from her, clutching his now bright red cheek. "What the hell did ya do that for?" He snarled indignantly, a churlish look in his slanted amber eyes as he nursed his wound.

Miaka dropped her defensive pose, a confused expression painting her features. 'Is it just me or did he sound just a little shrill just now?' she thought. It was true. That yell and the subsequent curses and complaints were much higher in pitch than you would normally encounter with a young man his age. And apparently, Genrou had noticed for his face took on a stricken look before returning to the cocky look he had previously been sporting.

"Ah, what do I care? This is the reason I hate gi-IRLS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YA DOIN' WOMAN?" he all but screeched as he hastily tugged his shirt from Miaka's grip and pulled it back down a moment too late, covering a layer of strategically placed bandages that covered a certain area that Miaka was very familiar with.

"You're a woman?" She blurted out as Genrou tucked her shirt back into her belt with a grumble and few choice swear words. "Yeah," the red-head muttered back, returning her defiant yet slightly sullen gaze to Miaka's, "Got anything' ta say about it? Huh?" Miaka shook her head hurriedly. "I thought not," Genrou grinned before her expression changed back to a peeved one, "So... Care to tell me why ya were tryin' to strip me?"

Miaka's face brightened. "I was checking to see if you had any marks," she chirped happily, causing Genrou to edge back warily. "Marks...?" She repeated, eyeing Miaka like she was a mad woman. The young girl nodded, "Yes! You see, I'm the Priestess of Suzaku and I'm on a journey to gather all seven of the celestial warriors in order to summon Suzaku. I've found four already and I have reason to believe that Tasuki, the fifth, is someone in this hideout."

Genrou flinched. "Well I can tell ya that I ain't got no marks so don't bother checkin'!" she snapped out, wrenching herself away from a confused looking priestess just as a knock could be heard at the door.

"Knock, Knock. Who's there? It's Kouji, here to see his ol' buddy who conveniently ignored him earlier on. Kouji! C'mon in! I think I will." Genrou glanced briefly towards Miaka as the door opened, sharing a moment of resignation at the midnight blue haired bandit's antics before flying from her perch on the floor to greet him.

"Kouji!" She declared happily, grasping his arm and leading him into what was probably the strangest dance Miaka had ever witnessed, "I haven't seen ya in ages!" Kouji joined in with just as much zeal, his face a picture of delight, "Genrou! Ya just saw me ahou!" For a few moments the revolved in circles, enjoying the odd little jig in which they were partaking before they remembered Miaka's presence.

Kouji was the one who stopped first, "So Gen-chan, what did ya want the chick for? I didn't think ya swung that wa-itai!" He sullenly rubbed his head where Genrou's fist had connected with it.

"First things first, she knows 'bout my condition." Kouji's eyes widened with surprise, flitting towards a still befuddled looking Miaka before going back to Genrou as she continued, "an' second, don't ya ever let me catch callin' me Gen-chan again or I'll shove yer throwin' blades so far up yer ass ya won't have to chew yer food b'cuz they'll do it for ya!" The blue-haired bandit's face paled a little at that declaration as did Miaka's.

"Don't get all hot an' bothered 'bout it, I was only teasin' ya!" Kouji stated defensively, waving his hands to diffuse Genrou's irritation. The red-head glowered moodily at him for a moment before plopping herself cross-legged on the floor. "Good," she muttered as Kouji did the same, "b'cuz I ain't kiddin."

"Jeez Gen-chan, is it that time o' the month already?" Kouji mumbled almost silently under his breath, further cementing Miaka's assumption that he was indeed certifiably insane. Genrou's head swivelled around with the speed of a bullet. "What was that?" she growled, her eyes narrowed. "Nothin'!" Kouji chirped, grinning impishly, though he did seem to shuffle an inch or so away from the irate red-head, "So, what bring yer back? It's not like we didn't miss ya or anything'. Hell, I've been prayin' ya'd get backside home for months! Where in the name of Kutou have ya been all this time?"

Genrou looked down, her eyes downcast and sombre, "I went out to look for a cure for the boss... I guess judgin' by ol' Eiken an' the way he's makin' himself comfortably down there I came a lil' too late." Kouji sighed deeply, his face also taking a sad expression, "Yeah... The boss talked 'bout ya till he took his last breath, kept askin' for ya. Eiken wasted no time in grabbin' the position when the boss died... None of us could stop him either. Somehow, he's managed to learn how to use the Tessen. He got his mitts on it b'fore any of us could hide it."

He glared ahead, his face a mask of outrage, "I tell ya, it took all of my self control not to slaughter the bastard in his sleep for the things he's been doin' while ya were gone. He's got half the gang scared outta their wits while the other half jus' follow him b'cuz it would be suicide not to."

Genrou's eyes narrowed angrily, gritting her teeth from her fury. "Why that lil'..." she snarled, clenching her fists, "Well I guess it's 'bout time we taught him what happens to pretenders at Mt Reikaku." She looked up, her eyes glowing like fire and her face split into a rather sinister smirk, "It's time for the real boss to take over!"

Kouji cried out in agreement, grinning from ear to ear while yell yelling, "That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Ya can count me in!" Miaka couldn't help but smile also, intoxicated by Kouji's infectious glee. "I'll help too!" She declared impulsively, earning a pair of very sceptical looks from the two before her.

"Umm, no offense girly," Kouji said carefully, obviously trying to be as delicate as possible, "But what can a lil' girl like yerself do against a gang o' bandits?" Miaka bristled at the comment, "I can talk to my friends. I'm sure they will help too once I explain things properly to them." Her eyes then took on an excited glint, "Besides, One of the men down there may be Tasuki!"

Kouji looked bemused for a moment, his eyes meeting Genrou's for a second, "But Tasuki's right-Oof! Stop doin' that!" He nursed his ribs where a rather sharp elbow had connected and glared at the perpetrator as she looked away innocently.

"Well come on then! No time to waste!" Miaka announced energetically, standing up and walking purposefully towards the doorway, "The sooner we get to the hideout, the sooner you can become boss again!" Genrou glanced towards her friend, sharing a look of exasperation as the elder bandit muttered, "Somehow, I don't think she gets that she's a hostage..."

* * *

After a small trek downhill through the forest that enshrouded the mountain side, the trio were crouched at a small cliff edge overlooking the bandit fortress. From their secluded hide-away, a bustle of movement could be seen through the countless windows that peppered the buildings walls as men ran this way in that, shouting as though they were preparing for an invasion.

"They're waitin' for ya," Kouji muttered darkly, his brow furrowed as he observed one particularly noisy individual with an arm–load of weapons, "This would'a been a hell of a lot easier if ya didn't have to be so damn flashy."

Genrou shrugged, a cocky smirk on her rather cat-like features, "If I didn't it wouldn't be any fun." Kouji rolled his eyes at that and continued assessing the enemy while Genrou pulled a wad of papers from a secluded pocket somewhere. Miaka gazed at them with intrigue, remembering the wolves from before.

"What are those?" she asked, gesturing to the papers. Genrou looked down at her hand for a moment before holding them out for Miaka to look at. "Talismans I got from a travellin' wizard while I was searchin' for a cure." The young girl's eyes widened childishly, causing the older woman to chuckle. "Really?" Miaka exclaimed, gazing at the writing with excitement, "How do they work?"

"It's basically an illusion charm," Genrou explained, "Ya write down what it is ya want to appear and throw it towards where you want the illusion to be. I write wolf b'cuz it's kinda my trademark." She grinned wolfishly at this, emphasizing her fangs before she noticed that Miaka was nowhere to be seen. She whipped her head around as the sound of scribbling reached her ears, her eyes zeroing in on the huddled form of that troublesome priestess.

"Oi! Gimme those," She growled, yanking the talismans away from the girls grasp and shoving them back into her pocket, "Those ain't for playin' with!" Miaka pouted sulkily for a moment before her face took on a confused look. "Umm... Kouji?" She turned towards the bandit in question who's eyes shot sideways towards Genrou with a slight resigned grimace before he turned to face what would probably be a very silly question. "Yeah, girly?"

"What is this Tessen that you were talking about and why would you all be so scared of it?"

Kouji eyed her incredulously before closing his eyes with a sigh and explaining. "It's that giant iron fan Eiken was holdin' so protectively," he said slowly, "When ya say the right incantation it spits out a sheet of flame that burns anythin' in its path into a pile of smokin' ashes." He turned his gaze back the building as a sound caught his attention momentarily. Deeming it safe, he turned back, "As far as I was aware, other than Hakurou, the ol' boss, Only me an' Genrou here knew the spell. Look's like Eiken was sneakin' around when we were learnin' it." He glowered darkly at that.

Suddenly he sat bolt upright, his eyes wide. Moment's later two forms burst from the undergrowth, one pouncing on the surprised Kouji while the other grasped the front of Genrou's jacket, holding a sword to the skin of her throat.

"You insolent heathen!" Snarled a thoroughly pissed Hotohori, his eyes hard and ruthless, "What have you done with Miaka?" Genrou resisted the temptation to gulp and shrunk back a little, her hands raised in surrender. "I ain't done nothin'!" She protested, her eyes darting sideways to lock on Miaka's, "Oi, priestess, call off yer guard dog already!"

"Hotohori! Nuriko!" Miaka exclaimed with delighted, looking from the slightly perplexed emperor to the effeminate looking man that currently had a rapidly turning blue Kouji in a head-lock, "Please don't hurt them! They're going to help us!" Nuriko raised a perfect brow at that but released his bandit anyway, causing Kouji to choke and gag for air that the strength warriors grip had previously denied.

* * *

"I do not like this..." Hotohori stated, his brows furrowed with concern as the small group huddled by a corner, the pair of bandits at the front debating how best to proceed, "How are we to be certain that they will not double cross us?" Miaka just smiled up at him, "You'll just have to trust me. They swore on their honour that they would help me find Tasuki."

Nuriko scoffed, crossing his arms. "The honour of a bandit doesn't amount to much," he said sarcastically, shooting a dirty look at the pair in question moments before a horrified yell pierced the air.

"Aaaaaargh! Nuriko, get rid of him!" Everyone turned, automatically going defensive as they focussed their attention on the emperor. Genrou stifled a snigger, grinning as one of the younger bandits nuzzled the emperors tunic in an affectionate way while professing his love, even though Hotohori was male. Rolling his eyes with a quiet mutter of, "Here we go again," Nuriko grabbed the boy by his shirt and dragged him away from the horrified looking man.

"Genrou, looks like we got trouble," Kouji muttered, tapping his friends shoulder and gesturing towards where a group of men were hurrying towards them. Genrou smirked widely, her fangs glinting in the firelight.

"I'll take care of this!" She declared arrogantly, pulling the talismans from her pocket and tossing them towards the hoard, yelling the spell before she stopped, staring in a mixture of horror and incredulity as mountains of food began appearing out of thin air. Both sides stared at the growing pile for a moment as an increasingly irate red-head tried talisman after talisman, getting a similar result every time.

"Miaka..."Nuriko said warningly, sending a disapproving look the young priestess's way. Miaka smiled back sheepishly as both Genrou and Kouji rounded on her, "It was an accident?"

"How can ya write by accident?" Genrou practically roared while Kouji covered his face with his palm. Suddenly a wall of flame burst forward, causing all to jump backwards in order to avoid it. Following it came the obnoxious sound of laughter as Eiken waddled forward, slapping the iron fan into the palm of his hand while grinning maliciously at the group.

"Genrou, so nice of ya to finally turn up," he sneered, "Now I don't have to hunt ya down." Genrou stood up, her face and posture defiant and her eyes narrowed with rage. Kouji stood u beside her, taking a defensive stance despite the woefully abysmal chances of surviving an attack.

"So... where are yer precious wolves?" the fat man goaded, his eyes glinting as he saw Genrou's fist clench at his sides, "Well Gen-chan? Ain'cha gonna fight me? Take back yer rightful place as boss?" His grin widened, "Or are ya jus' realisin' that there ain't nothin' a lil' girl like you can do to stop me."

Out of the corner have her eye, Miaka saw the tall red-head freeze, sucking in a deep gasping breath. "How..?" Genrou spat out viciously. Eiken smirked condescendingly at her, "I happened to see somthin' veeery interestin' when I passed the springs one night." His eyes travelled up and down the young woman's body appraisingly, causing Genrou to gnash her teeth in warning, "Yer face ain't much to look at but with a body like that, I think you'd make a great bed warmer."

Shooting an arm out to stop Kouji from barrelling forward, Genrou levelled her eyes on the false leaders, her amber orbs practically spitting out sparks of loathing. "Like I'd ever bed a putrid disease ridden pig like you," she snarled. Seeing her chance as Eiken's face turned furious at Genrou's insult, Miaka darted forward, her eyes fixed on the fan in his hands. Ignoring the calls and desperate grabs to pull her back, she pounced forward and began wrenching at it, much to the amusement of the fans holder.

Suddenly, a hand enclosed over her throat, restricting her breath so that she could only gasp for breath as her friends looked on with concern. "Move one inch an' I'll break her neck," Eiken cooed, tightening his hand slightly to demonstrate, causing Miaka to splutter a little more.

"Why... are you letting... him do this..." She rasped out, clawing at the hand on her neck, "Is ... Is he really... who you want to... lead you..." She coughed, her struggles weakening slightly, much to her friend's despair. "Why ... are you cowering...instead of fighting..." Her eyes drifted closed, her thoughts drifting to the one person whom she was risking her everything for.

"YOU CALL YOURSELVES MEN?"

Genrou swung around, her eyes widening in surprise as a tall, teal haired young man appeared out of seemingly nowhere, unfolding from a crouch with his hair flailing in the breeze and a bright light glowing from his forehead. Her eyes shot open even further as they identified the kanji for 'Ogre'. "A Celestial Warrior?" she breathed before running forward to dispatch Eiken while he was still distracted.

"Tama...home...!" Miaka called out weakly as the man jumped into the now gathering circle of bandits, ploughing his way through them ruthlessly, "Tamahome!" The man smiled, dispatching the last of the warriors before turning towards Miaka, his face gentle and loving as he opened his arms to embrace her.

Genrou gave Eiken a final kick to finish him off as Miaka took of running, following the girl with her eyes as she threw herself into Tamahome's embrace and promptly fell through as the illusion melted away moments before his arms could wrap themselves around her tiny form. jus' d, " Take back yer rightfull place as boss?"waddled forward, slapping the iron fan into the palm of his hand whil

She looked away, hearing a small sob come from Miaka as she cradled the talisman bearing her lover's name towards her, her shoulders shaking from the tears. She glanced towards Kouji, noting an equally sorrowful look in his eyes along with a generous amount of gratitude.


End file.
